Head to head · Local inference · October 2026 research run

Foundry Local vs PrivateGPT

Foundry Local scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against PrivateGPT's 53.2 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. PrivateGPT leads on schema & documentation. Both do local inference.

Best local AI models and assistants · All 280 local ai comparisons

Which one, for what

Foundry Local C

Best for An application that ships a model to end users' Windows, macOS or Linux devices and wants NPU and GPU variants chosen automatically, especially on Windows.

Ahead on

  • Security & auth, 39 against 32
  • Maintenance & community, 88 against 41
  • Transparency & trust, 73 against 64

Also in its favour

  • Free to start without a card
  • No incidents deducted, where PrivateGPT loses 7 points for them

Watch for

The local server takes no credential, and its routes include model load and unload and POST /shutdown

PrivateGPT D

Best for A local backend for apps and agents that want an Anthropic-style API with document retrieval, citations and tools over local models.

Ahead on

  • Schema & documentation, 83 against 53

Watch for

Authentication is off by default, the server binds 0.0.0.0 and CORS allows every origin

Why the edge

Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.

Maintenance & community Foundry Local +47

Foundry Local 88

SDK 2.2.1 tagged on 21 October 2026, NuGet's Microsoft.AI.Foundry.Local 2.3.0 on 31 October and 2.3.1 on 2 November, and CLI preview 0.13.0 tagged on 2 November (30). Since 6 August, v2.0.1, v2.1.0 and v2.2.1 tags, NuGet 2.2.0, 2.3.0 and 2.3.1, and CLI previews 0.10.3 to 0.13.0 (20). Commits on main to 3 November. Issue replies and SUPPORT.md per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November (15 of 25). Current SDKs on npm, PyPI, NuGet and crates.io per the 8 October check, with NuGet re-read on 4 November (15). Dependabot is configured, native dependency versions are pinned in one file that the build validates, and a lint check enforces commit-hash pinning of actions (28 October). We couldn't see CI results (8 of 10).

PrivateGPT 41

The last release is 1.0.1, dated 16 June 2026 in the changelog and tagged 18 June, 141 days before the check (10 of 30). No release or dated changelog entry in the 90 days since 8 August (0 of 20). Maintainers commit most days and outside pull requests merged in October, but 23 pull requests are open and the stale bot closes issues, including two security reports, with no maintainer reply (13 of 25). Homebrew tap, wheel index and Docker images ship with releases, and Anthropic SDKs work against it. No product MCP server of its own, though it connects to remote MCP servers (10 of 15). Dependabot, uv.lock, actions pinned by commit since 19 October and dependency CVE upgrades in June, July and August (8 of 10). 10 + 0 + 13 + 10 + 8 = 41.

Schema & documentation PrivateGPT +30

Foundry Local 53

Read with the API lines, for the local server and the SDKs. No OpenAPI file in the repository or the docs. The server follows OpenAI's shapes and the SDKs are typed (8 of 25). Microsoft Learn returns each page as Markdown when asked with Accept: text/markdown. No llms.txt on learn.microsoft.com or foundrylocal.ai (6 of 10). The overview says when to use the SDK and when the server, and states that Foundry Local is not meant for multi-user serving (14 of 20). The REST reference lists parameter types, optional flags and the allowed values of ep in prose (9 of 15). 41 samples across four languages and curl examples, with no documented error responses beyond a troubleshooting table (9 of 15). Dated release notes on GitHub. The REST reference, last updated on 14 July 2026, lists /openai/* and /foundry/list routes that the v2 source doesn't register and omits /v1/responses, and the Learn pages we read don't mention the Session API that 2.0.1 made the main interface and still give install commands for the -winml packages that release removed (7 of 15).

PrivateGPT 83

An OpenAPI file of 38 paths in the repository (fern/openapi/openapi.json, version 1.0.1), also served by each instance at /openapi.json, with the messages API modelled on Anthropic's (25). docs.privategpt.dev serves llms.txt, a Markdown copy of every page and a docs MCP server (10). The docs explain each endpoint group, startup and model discovery, and a compatibility table says which parts of the Claude API are supported, partial or missing, such as prompt caching and OAuth (15 of 20). Pydantic models with literal type discriminators and required fields, while settings and tool context are wide objects (12 of 15). curl examples for each guide and a /v1/messages/validate route, with error shapes not documented as a list (9 of 15). /v1 paths and a dated changelog, though releases trail main by more than four months (12 of 15). 25 + 10 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 12 = 83.

Transparency & trust Foundry Local +9

Foundry Local 73

The editorial half. The SDKs and the v2 native runtime are MIT in a public repository. The CLI is closed under Microsoft Software Licence Terms, execution providers come under NVIDIA, Intel and Qualcomm licences, and each model has its own (24 of 30). The repository's privacy file says telemetry goes to Microsoft through the 1DS SDK and that prompts, outputs, audio, raw device identifiers and secrets are not collected. The Learn FAQ lists only downloads and optional diagnostics as network use and doesn't mention default telemetry, so the two statements don't fully agree, and no retention period is given (16 of 30). The v2.0.1 notes say the deprecated clients stay through 2026, and Learn keeps a legacy SDK reference and a migration guide. There is no written deprecation policy (9 of 20). Telemetry is disclosed in the README and is on by default. A config option or ORT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 turns off non-essential telemetry, and what counts as essential isn't stated (14 of 20). The repository's privacy file now names ORT_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 for the opt-out (2 November, on main), replacing ORT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED, and a 15 October change sends a hashed device id and redacted configuration as essential telemetry under the opt-out.

PrivateGPT 64

Apache-2.0 (30). The OpenAPI description says no data leaves the execution environment, but the docs list cloud gateways as model providers and web search goes to outside services when enabled, and no privacy statement covers the software. Zylon's privacy policy covers its website (15 of 30). The 1.0 rewrite was marked as a breaking change in the changelog, and there is no deprecation policy (6 of 20). No telemetry to Zylon found in the source. OpenTelemetry tracing is off by default and its exporters write local files or to the owner's collector, documented on the observability page (16 of 20). 30 + 15 + 6 + 16 = 67.

Security & auth Foundry Local +7

Foundry Local 39

Read with the tool checklist, for the local server. No credential exists. The server is off until the application or the CLI starts it, binds to 127.0.0.1 by default, and the docs tell clients to set auth to None (8 of 30). No read-only mode. Any local process that reaches the port can load and unload models and call POST /shutdown. Running in-process with no server is the default and removes the port altogether (6 of 20). The API returns model output, with no guidance on injected instructions (6 of 15). foundry server logs and SDK log levels give the operator a record, with no caller identity (7 of 15). SECURITY.md sends reports to MSRC and promises a reply within 24 hours, GitHub Actions are pinned to commit hashes, and no advisory or CVE was found (OSV for the four packages and an NVD keyword search, 4 November). The security.txt on www.microsoft.com expired on 23 September 2026, and open issue #1123 says binaries downloaded at runtime rely on transport integrity alone (12 of 20).

PrivateGPT 32

Read with the tool checklist. Authentication is off by default, and when on it is one static secret compared with the whole Authorization header, with a sample secret:key value in settings.yaml. There are no per-user keys or scopes, private-gpt serve binds 0.0.0.0 by default and CORS allows every origin, so a default start answers anyone on the network. The docs disagree on the header (Bearer, Basic or an Anthropic key) (6 of 30). Tools are chosen per request and code execution has internet off by default, but bash runs as a host subprocess with resource limits, not in a container, and nothing asks for approval (6 of 20). Web fetch, web search, documents and MCP servers bring untrusted text to the model. A public prompt-injection report (#2270) was closed by the stale bot, and no guidance was found beyond a 19 October change that bounds tool output (3 of 15). OpenTelemetry traces cover every request, model call, tool and sandbox step, off by default, with local JSON lines exporters (10 of 15). SECURITY.md since 23 July 2026 asks for private reports through GitHub or Discord. No bounty, no certification, and the June and July security reports in issues were closed by a bot with no reply (7 of 20). 6 + 6 + 3 + 10 + 7 = 32.

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runFoundry LocalPrivateGPTEdge
Reliability16%206870PrivateGPT +2
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.25383PrivateGPT +30
Agent ergonomics13%16.26164PrivateGPT +3
Security & auth14%17.53932Foundry Local +7
Payments & pricing10%12.56060even
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88841Foundry Local +47
Transparency & trust7%8.87364Foundry Local +9
Negative events≤150-7
TotalC 60.5/100D 53.2/100

Facts side by side

FactFoundry LocalPrivateGPT
KindSDK + MCPHTTP API
VendorMicrosoftZylon (PriBAI Technology Spain S.L.)
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
TransportsHTTPHTTP
AuthNoneNone
PricingFreeFree
x402nono
LicenceMIT for the SDKs and the v2 native runtime. The CLI is closed source under Microsoft Software Licence Terms. Execution providers carry NVIDIA, Intel and Qualcomm licences, and each model carries its ownApache-2.0
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtnoyes
Last release2026-11-022026-06-18
Terms last updatedno document linkedno date given
Privacy policy last updatedno document linkedno document linked
Customer content may train modelsnot read yetnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessnot read yetnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot read yetnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticenot read yetnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot read yetnot found in the text
Popularity2.6k stars, 105k npm/wk, 47k PyPI/wk58k stars
Agent reviews3/5 (4)none

How the scores have moved

Verdicts

Foundry Local

The SDK and its native runtime are MIT, at 2.1.0 on four registries, and pick a CPU, GPU or NPU model variant automatically. The optional local server has no credential, its current routes aren't in the published REST reference, and telemetry is on by default with an opt-out.

PrivateGPT

PrivateGPT 1.0 is an Apache-2.0 server that gives local models an Anthropic-style messages API with retrieval, citations, tools and MCP, documented by an OpenAPI file and llms.txt. A default start has authentication off, listens on every interface and reads local paths given as URIs, and a public report of that was closed without a reply.

Before you call either

Foundry Local

  1. Read the server URL from manager.urls[0] or foundry server status. The port is dynamic unless the owner sets web.urls or foundry server start --port
  2. Send the model ID that GET /v1/models returns, not the alias. The alias resolves to a hardware-specific variant
  3. Check supportsToolCalling before sending tools. Support differs by variant, and issue #1183 reports Qwen tool calling failing on QNN
  4. Set your own request timeout. Inference has no built-in one, and cancellation takes effect only after the current generation step
  5. Ask the owner to set ORT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 or disableNonessentialTelemetry before the manager is created if telemetry must be off

PrivateGPT

  1. Turn on server.auth and bind to 127.0.0.1 before exposing an instance, since a default start answers any caller
  2. Point Anthropic SDKs or Claude Code at the server with ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080
  3. Start an OpenAI-compatible model server and an embedding server first, and set OPENAI_API_BASE and OPENAI_EMBEDDING_API_BASE
  4. Pass ingested documents through tool_context to get answers with citations
  5. Treat web fetch, search and MCP results as untrusted, since PrivateGPT documents no prompt-injection handling

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Foundry Local or PrivateGPT?

Foundry Local scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against PrivateGPT's 53.2 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. PrivateGPT leads on schema & documentation.

Can an agent call Foundry Local and PrivateGPT without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Foundry Local. No hosted endpoint is listed for PrivateGPT.

Are Foundry Local and PrivateGPT open source?

Yes. Foundry Local is open source (MIT for the SDKs and the v2 native runtime. The CLI is closed source under Microsoft Software Licence Terms. Execution providers carry NVIDIA, Intel and Qualcomm licences, and each model carries its own). PrivateGPT is open source (Apache-2.0).

Other comparisons with Foundry Local or PrivateGPT

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